A German manufacturer of aluminum automotive parts will move into Battle Creek, bringing up to a $23 million investment and 186 jobs with it, the state announced Wednesday.

WKW Roof Rail Systems will purchase a manufacturing building formerly occupied by Toyota Tsusho America in the Fort Custer Industrial Park. There, it will produce aluminum roof rail systems for the North American automotive market. Battle Creek was chosen over competings sites in Alabama and one other state, economic development agency Battle Creek Unlimited said in a news release.

Karl Dehn, president and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited, said officials have been in discussions with the company for about eight months. It’s unclear when the company will move in because of pending building upgrades and tax incentives, he said.

Dehn said WKW will bring innovative technology that could position the company for “substantial growth.”

“It’s great news,” he said Wednesday. “WKW is an outstanding company, and as we’ve gotten to know them we’ve increasingly felt that they would be a good fit for Battle Creek and bring great new economic impact. So we’re thrilled with the announcement and look forward to having them grow their North American operations here.”

The project was awarded a $950,000 performance-based grant from the Michigan Business Development Program. The Battle Creek City Commission will likely take up a request from WKW for a property tax abatement, usually granted for a 6- or 12-year period.

The company is a newly formed subsidiary of WKW Erbsloeh North America Inc., part of WKW.automotive in Wuppertal, Germany. It has a sales office in Troy and a manufacturing facility in Portage, acquired when it purchased Bowers Manufacturing Co. in November.

“After the successful acquisition of Bowers Manufacturing Company in Portage, Michigan, the management team acknowledged the need to expand the production area,” WKW.automotive CEO Peter Kruft said in a statement. “As we intend to build-up the extrusion business in North America in the same way we serve the European market, we need more space for anodizing and assembly of roof rail systems. When we presented our future planning, we appreciated it very much to receive such valuable support from the State of Michigan, especially Governor Rick Snyder, and all other involved authorities.”

The state said Snyder met with company executives during his investment mission to Europe in April.

“Governor Snyder’s meeting with WKW executives in Germany underscored our strong relationship with the company and demonstrated again that Michigan is more business-friendly than ever,” MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney said in a statement. “The opening of the facility in Battle Creek will further strengthen WKW’s Michigan presence and provide additional high-paying jobs for years to come.”

The facility WKW is moving into, on North Hill Brady Road, was built by Toyota Tsusho America Inc. in 2001. Its taxable value is listed at about $2.2 million, according to online city property records. The 191,000-square-foot building was constructed for company expansion but has been unoccupied for about two years after Toyota Tsusho shifted some of its business out of Battle Creek, Dehn said.